Automatic twin door-latch.



E. H. BANKS.

AUTOMATIC TWIN DOOR LATCH. APPLICATION FI LED ocr.23. 1912.

1., 1M,65%. Patented Mar. 7,1916.

cheaply applied to a on the line 2-2 Fig.

""on'rrnn s raass EDMUND F. BANKS, OF TORBROOK, NOVA. SCO'IIA, CANADA.

AUTOMATIC TWIN DOOR-LATCH.

Specification of Letters Patent.

.Patented Mar. 7, 1916.

Application filed October 23, 1912. Serial No. 727,410.

To //7/ whom it may comer/1.

Be it known that l EDMUXD H. BANKS, a subject of the King of Great Brita-in, residing at Torbroolc. in the cosnty of Annapolis and Province of Nova Scotia, Dominion of Canada, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Automatic Twin Door-Latches; and 1' do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same.

This inventionrelates to door latches and more particularly to double door latches.

An object of the invention is to provide a. double latch having a single releasing member and which may be readily and door of the ordinary type now in use and which will securely fasten the door at the top and bottom.

Another object is to generally improve and simplify the construction of devices of this character and increase the eiiiciency thereof.

With these and other objects in view my invention will be more fully described and illustrated in the accompanyi g drawings forming a part of this application and in which Figure 1 is an elevational view looking at the outer edge of a door to which my invention is applied. Fig.

1. Fig. Sis a similar view on the line 3-3 Fig. ,2. Fig. at is a detail view of one of the latch bolts.

Referring more particularly to the above drawings in which similar reference charac tors designate corresponding part-s throughout. 10 designates the door having the vertical recess ii. near its outer vertical edge and extending, from top to bottom to accommodate my improved latch mechanism, designated by the numeral 12 which will now .be fully described.

r he upper and lower latch bolts 1.3 have their forward ends or heads enlarged as shown at 14 and the outer face thereoi beveled iii the usual manner. The opposite end of eath latch member 13 extends from the head 14: and is rounded as shown at 15, the :lrce end being flattened upon opposite sides as shown at 16 and provided with an clonprated slot 16 opening upon the fiat faces. By flattening the free or inner end of the member 13, the stop shoulders are provided, the purpose of which will pres- 2 is a vertical section ently appear. lhe pin 17 is positioned through the slot l6'--and has its opposite free ends secured in the opposite free ends of the outer U-shaped member 17, which member 17 has secured through its central portion, the outer end of the threaded connecting bar 18. movement of the rod is prevented by means of the nuts 18 carried thereby and engaged against the opposite lanes of the central portion of the U-shaped member 17, as clearly shown. The opposite end of the connecting bar 18 is secured through the central portion of a second U-shaped member 20, the ends of the said member 20 being pivoted to one end of the bell crank lever 21 by means of pivot pin 20. Longitudinal movement of Independent longitudinal the bar 18 independently of the J-shaped member 20 is prevented by means of the nuts 19 carried by this end of the bar 18 and engaged against the opposite faces of the central portion of the said member 20. Independent outward movement of the latch bolts 13 is limited by th pins 17' within the slots 16 while independent inward m0vement of the said latch bolts is limited by engagement of the stop shoulders 15 against the ends of the U-shaped member 17, as will be clearly apparent. Each bell crank lever is pivoted centrally upon a pin 22 carried by the rearwardly directed portion .23 at the central face plate 24 which in turn is properly embedded in theouter Vertical edgeof the door as will be clearly seen by referring to the drawings. The opposite arms of the bell crank levers 21 are connected by means of the central pin 25 upon which is also pivoted one end of the operating pin 26, the opposite end of which projects through a contraopening 27 in the plate 24, said plate 24; being pressed inwardly, as shown at 28, around the opening, thus permitting the outer end of the pin 26 to be flush with the main portion of the said plate 24 when the pin occupies its outer or normal position.

lhc end plates 29 are secured to the outer edge of the door, at the top and bottom thereof. and have their free ends bent at right angles and extended-over the opposite ends of the recess 11. as shown at 30. The ends 510 of the plates 29 are provided with suitable openings 31 through which the ends 13 oi the latch bolts project. The plates 29 also carry inwardly projected plates 32, being parallel with the ends and having openings 33 to accommodate the central pertions 15 of the members, said openings being in alinement with the openings 81, thus assuring proper movement of the latch memher.

The controlling springs are positioned around the central portions of the latch members and bear against the outer ends or heads 14 thereof and against the plates 32 to resiliently "retain said latch members in their outer. oroperative position. The main portion of the latch member and the springs 34 are inclosed by the housings 35 properly secured to the main portions of the plates 29, the turned, ends 30 thereof and the plates 32, as clearly shown in the drawings By forcing the operating pin 26 inwardly, the bell crank levers 21 will be swung upon the pins :22, bcrs inwardly through the medium of the members 17 and 18, and

arms 20 and hook against the tension of the controlling spring pin 26 is re- 04-, As soon as the operating leased, however, the controlling spring 34 will return the lever members to their normal or operative positions, the outward movement of the latch members 13 also serving to swing the bell crank levers 21 in opposite directions and return the operating pin 26 to its normal position.

From the foregoing it will be evident that I have provided a double latch mechanism which may be readily and cheaply applied to-doors of the type now in general use and thus drawing the latch mem-- which will be highly efiicient and effective in use. It will also be apparent that minor enanges may be made in the details of construction u Ethin the scope of the appended claim. without in the slightest departing from the spirit of my invention.

What is claimed is:

In combination with a twin latch mechanism, a pair of oppositely disposed bolts, guide bars connected therewith, expansion springs embracing the respective guide bars and connected to the same and to the bolts, a pair of pivoted bell cranks having adjacent arms provided with longitudinal slots, rods having U-shaped members adjustabiy connected to their ends, the ends of the U- snaped members adjacent the bolts being slidably and pivotall Y connected to the guide bars, said other U-shaped members being pivotally connected to the bell cranks, an operating push rod having one end disposed between adjacent arms of the bell cranks, said rod being movable at right angles to the pivot points of the bell cranks and a bolt passed through and slidable in the slots in the adjacent arms of the bell cranks and through the push rod.

In testimony whereof, I my signature, in presence of two Witnesses.

EDMUND H. BANKS.

Witnesses W. L. Macias, CHAS. O. TUCKER. 

